Rear tire sizes for gl1800 lehman monarch ii trike

[Motogordo]

Sept. 29, 2012

I have Mustang wheels on my 2005 GL1800 Lehman Monarch II. The tire size is 215/55Z/R17. The size that Lehman call for is P205/70R15. Is this tire too large ? What effect will it have ?

Motorgordo

The dealer said this was the tire that came with this particular trike. How will this larger tire effect the ride and handling ? He said that when I replace this tire I will still have to use the same size since this is what the Mustang Wheel takes. Correct ?

[Mick]

You can get wheels for your trike where you purchase custom wheels for a car. Lehman stock used to be 15 in wheels,mine came with the optional 16 in billet wheels. The customer that owned the trike before you might have ordered special 17 in wheels on his. If your Lehman is like mine you should have the build sticker in the lid of the trunk. It will give you the wheel size,lug pattern and wheel offset with tire pressure. If you get a chance look to see if the wheels match the build sticker.

[Motogordo]

You can get wheels for your trike where you purchase custom wheels for a car. Lehman stock used to be 15 in wheels,mine came with the optional 16 in billet wheels. The customer that owned the trike before you might have ordered special 17 in wheels on his. If your Lehman is like mine you should have the build sticker in the lid of the trunk. It will give you the wheel size,lug pattern and wheel offset with tire pressure. If you get a chance look to see if the wheels match the build sticker.

I did see some numbers inside the trunk but no build sticker. I presume these tires and wheels will be okay. The only numbers are MB3138 on the trunk lid that lifts up.

[Mick]

I wonder if theres a difference between a factory built and dealer install. Mine has a build plate with the build date ,serial number ,tire and wheel and air pressure information on the inside of the trunk lid. You can easily read it when you open the trunk.

[Lee H. Mann]

Sept. 29, 2012

I have Mustang wheels on my 2005 GL1800 Lehman Monarch II. The tire size is 215/55Z/R17. The size that Lehman call for is P205/70R15. Is this tire too large ? What effect will it have ?

Motorgordo

The dealer said this was the tire that came with this particular trike. How will this larger tire effect the ride and handling ? He said that when I replace this tire I will still have to use the same size since this is what the Mustang Wheel takes. Correct ?

Your current tire should be adequate. If it can be removed from the wheel well without a problem and doesn't rub the fender while riding, it is not too big.

Traction will increase due to the 55 series tire over the stock 70 series tire but the ride will diminish due to the increased footprint.

You shouldn't exceed 20 psi in the rear tires for even wear. I have 245/55ZR17 on mine and they are a real booger to get off and on but they really bite. With that increased traction beware if the drive line stress and no snatching gears.

[Tip Schwartzbeck]

The main difference -if any- would be in overall height (or circumference).If it is a big difference it will make more work for your clutch and drive train.Any increase in size should help gas mileage and if your speedometer works off the front wheel it wont mess up your mph reading.
my thoughts,
Tip

[Rosy]

Question on rear tires:
Do you think a low profile tire will ride harder than a regular tire? I believe they may, but I am sure they grip the road very well.
How about hydroplane with low profile tires, would they be greater? Questions for tire experts out there.
Thanks for your advise.

Regards,

Rosy
From NH

[Lee H. Mann]

Question on rear tires:
Do you think a low profile tire will ride harder than a regular tire? I believe they may, but I am sure they grip the road very well.
How about hydroplane with low profile tires, would they be greater? Questions for tire experts out there.
Thanks for your advise.

Regards,

Rosy
From NH

You are correct on both. On a water covered road the wider tire can give you better traction and stability until the tread becomes compromised. Then it will act like a surf board. Just don't over inflate them.

[RRSCOTT]

Like was said if you can get them in there. There's only a .01 difference in diameter.

[Motogordo]

Oct. 2. 2012

I just spoke to Lehman Trike Co. I asked their customer service technical department about the oversized tires on my 2005 GL1800 Lehman Monarch II. He said there was no problem using the oversized tires that were on it when I purchased it. He did say that they recommend 22psi in the rear tires. I was using 25 to 26, so I just lowered them to the new settings. I raised the front from 36psi to 41 psi. I will see how it rides now as soon as the rain stops here in New Jersey. The service rep also said there is no problem with the larger tires as long as they are not hitting the fenders anywhere, whereas they would show marks on the tire itself.

They were very helpful and returned my call within a couple of hours.

Motogordo

p.s.

The rear tire size on my GL1800 is (215/55Z/R17) Radial
He also said that Lehman suggests 15psi for the rear shocks.
He did say that there shouldn't be any problem with the drive train due to larger wheel.
I told him I couldn't find when and where the trike was assembled since there was no tag in the trunk. All that was there was a number "MB3138" which is said is a batch number. He did mention there are 9 or so numbers underneath by the differential which indicates year and model and possibly when installed. I will check that out in a day or so when my neighbor returns my Rhino Ramps to lift the rear.

10/3/12

I just got back from a 40 mile ride with the front at 41psi and the rears at 22 psi. The ride felt fine.

[Rosy]

Motogordo,
Keep checking the fenders on the trike. I'll tell you a story: Had my dealer put a front tire on, and off I went. Kept hearing something so I brought it back, "No Problems", everything fine. Went on a weekend trip and still kept hearing the noise up front, of well. Had my Goldwing only shop put on steering bearings and when I went back to pickup the trike he said, who put your new tire on, I told him so he showed me a picture he took of the fender and the tire had worn a hole right through. They put a tire that was too tall and it was rubbing on the fender.
Took it back and they put a new fender and a shorter tire on at their cost. So, keep checking if you hear anything in the rear of the trike.

Regards,

Rosy
From NH

[Mick]

Powerbuilt® 3 Ton Jack & Jack Stand - 1160455 | Tractor Supply Company
Gordo after I get mine up on the ramps heres what I use to get a little more working room for the trike underneath. And it gives me that much more help in taking the tires off when up on the ramps.

[Motogordo]

Where do you place the jack under the cycle ?

[Motogordo]

Powerbuilt® 3 Ton Jack & Jack Stand - 1160455 | Tractor Supply Company
Gordo after I get mine up on the ramps heres what I use to get a little more working room for the trike underneath. And it gives me that much more help in taking the tires off when up on the ramps.

10/3/12

Where do you place the jack under the cycle ?

[Mick]

I usually after getting her up on the ramps put the jacks under the rear axle closest to the wheels. The right side is a bit of a snug fit because of the muffler. But just be sure to chock the front wheel just in case. The nice thing I discovered is when greasing the rear u-joint and you cant get to the fitting,just jack up one wheel and spin it to spin the driveshaft where you need it.

[Hocky]

Sept. 29, 2012

I have Mustang wheels on my 2005 GL1800 Lehman Monarch II. The tire size is 215/55Z/R17. The size that Lehman call for is P205/70R15. Is this tire too large ? What effect will it have ?

Motorgordo

The dealer said this was the tire that came with this particular trike. How will this larger tire effect the ride and handling ? He said that when I replace this tire I will still have to use the same size since this is what the Mustang Wheel takes. Correct ?

Here's an interesting site on tire size comparisons.

http://tire-size-conversion.com/tire-size-calculator/